On this page 6 sections
IFZA does not publish a price list. Not a licence price, not a per-visa price, not a renewal price. Every article ranking for this query states a figure anyway; none of the ones checked cites IFZA for it. This page sets out what IFZA does publish, shows a zone that publishes its prices in full so there is some sense of scale, and leaves the IFZA numbers blank until there is a quotation to cite.
Verified on ifza.com on 21 September 2026 (first checked 6 August 2026).
| Fact | What IFZA states |
|---|---|
| What a commercial licence permits | “import, export, or conduct local market trade within the UAE”, from commodities such as toys and food through to real estate brokerage |
| Stated benefits | tax exemptions and income repatriation, simplified work-visa acquisition, legal protection, and conducting multiple business activities flexibly |
| Activity catalogue | browsable at activities.ifza.com: 826 activities listed on 21 September 2026, each marked non-regulated, or regulated with the approving authority named |
Source: IFZA, commercial licence, and activities.ifza.com, checked 21 September 2026.
What IFZA does not publish
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Licence package prices in AED | not published on ifza.com |
| Cost per visa allocation | not published |
| Renewal cost | not published |
| How many activities fit on one licence | not published |
| Whether commercial and professional activities can share a licence | not published |
| When an office becomes mandatory | not published |
Checked 21 September 2026 across ifza.com and activities.ifza.com. IFZA describes its pricing as transparent and stated upfront, which it may well be on a quotation. It is not stated on the public site.
What a comparable zone charges, for scale
Because IFZA publishes no figures, the only honest way to give a sense of scale is to show a zone that does and label it clearly. These are Meydan Free Zone’s prices, not IFZA’s.
| Item | Meydan (published) | IFZA |
|---|---|---|
| Licence, from | AED 12,500 (Regular) | not published |
| Fast-track licence | AED 15,000, issued in under 60 minutes | not published |
| Activities included | up to 3 groups | not published |
| Each extra activity | AED 1,000 | not published |
| Visa allocation | AED 1,850 | not published |
| Employment visa | AED 3,500 | not published |
| Annual renewal | not published | not published |
Meydan figures: Meydan Free Zone cost breakdown, checked 21 September 2026.
The comparison is one-sided, and that is the finding. A founder choosing between the two can price Meydan to the dirham from the zone’s own website, and cannot price IFZA at all without asking for a quotation.
What an IFZA quotation should list
Because the price only exists on a quotation, the useful question is what that quotation must contain. Ask for each item below as a separate line, for year one and for the renewal in year two, so that two quotations can be compared line by line.
| Line to ask for | Why it needs its own line |
|---|---|
| Licence fee and the activities it covers | the activity list decides the licence type, and extra activities may be charged on top |
| Visa allocation | how many visas the licence and the workspace allow; the quota is often tied to the workspace |
| Cost per visa: entry permit, change of status if you are already in the UAE, medical test, Emirates ID | charged per person and usually left out of a headline price |
| Establishment card | needed before any visa can be issued |
| Workspace, flexi desk or office | it can decide the visa quota |
| Renewal in year two, licence and workspace | the first-year total is not the recurring cost |
IFZA does not publish a renewal fee either, so the year-two line is the only way to see the recurring cost before you commit.
How the activity choice drives the cost
| The choice | What it decides |
|---|---|
| Which activities | licence type, and whether one licence covers the business at all |
| Whether any activity is regulated | whether an external approval is needed before the licence issues |
| Activity wording | what a bank sees at account opening, which is where mismatches surface |
The last row is the one founders learn late. A licence whose activity wording does not match what the business actually does is a recurring reason for a corporate account to stall, and no free zone controls that outcome. Compare zones side by side in the IFZA, Meydan and SHAMS comparison, or read what a cheaper zone costs.
Opening a business bank account
A bank account does not come with an IFZA licence: the bank opens it separately, after its own review of the company, its owners and the expected transactions. For a new small company, two common starting points are Wio Business, which costs AED 99 a month on the Essential plan, with no minimum balance, and Mashreq’s NeoBiz account, which starts at AED 99 plus VAT a month on the Pro plan, with no minimum balance (banks’ own fee schedules, checked October 2026). Compare all of them on our UAE business banks page.
How many consultants work with IFZA
From the Emirae directory, measured 6 August 2026.
| Measure | Count |
|---|---|
| Active consultants in the directory | 69 |
| Declare IFZA as a zone they work with | 10 |
| Of those, also handle company formation | 9 |
| Handle company formation at all | 42 |
| Declare Meydan Free Zone, for comparison | 11 |
| Declare DMCC, the most declared zone | 17 |
A quotation is the only way to price IFZA, so the practical step is to ask more than one of those firms for the same scope. Company formation is the service this sits under.
IFZA is one of five UAE free zones that publish no licence price at all. The census of which zones publish a figure and which do not is in UAE free zone company setup cost.
Other Dubai free zones we cover: JAFZA, DMCC, DIFC, Meydan Free Zone, Dubai Airport Freezone, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Dubai South, DWTC, Dubai Development Authority zones, Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Design District and Dubai Healthcare City.
Frequently asked questions
How much does an IFZA licence cost?
IFZA does not publish package prices on its website. Checked 21 September 2026 on ifza.com and activities.ifza.com. Prices are given on a quotation.
How much is the IFZA licence renewal fee?
IFZA does not publish renewal fees either (checked 21 September 2026). Ask for the year-two renewal as its own line in the quotation, together with any visa renewals that fall due in the same year.
How many business activities does an IFZA licence include?
IFZA does not state a number on the pages checked. It says a licence can cover multiple activities flexibly, without quantifying it.
Can one IFZA licence hold both commercial and professional activities?
Not stated by IFZA on the pages checked, so this page does not claim it either way.
When does IFZA require an office?
Not stated on the pages checked.
What does an IFZA commercial licence allow?
Import, export, or local market trade within the UAE, from commodities such as toys and food through to specialised fields such as real estate brokerage.
What does an extra activity cost at IFZA?
Not published. Meydan Free Zone, by comparison, publishes AED 1,000 per activity beyond its three included groups.
Where is the official IFZA activity list?
At activities.ifza.com. On 21 September 2026 it listed 826 activities, each marked non-regulated, or regulated with the approving authority named.
Want IFZA quotations you can compare line by line? Describe your case and compare offers from consultants.
Official references used for context in this article.
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